The Maldives club Green Streets forfeited their last local league match. And this forfeit loss has had consequences that many find particularly suspicious...

It was a level of cunning rarely seen that likely secured Green Streets' survival. The club, playing in the Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League, the top tier of Maldivian football, came up with a diabolical plan to guarantee their place in the elite, which was threatened before the final matchday.

To remain in the Premier League next season, the club from the archipelago absolutely had to avoid losing by four goals or more this Thursday against New Radiant. That was all it took to spark a highly effective idea in the Machiavellian minds of the Green Street management: to forfeit the match.

A very convenient package

Indeed, a forfeit defeat being sanctioned by a 2-0 against the absent team according to the rules of the Maldives Federation, the mere fact of not entering the pitch of their last match guaranteed that they could not be caught by their pursuer, Club Valencia.

A devastating blow that obviously didn't sit well with the victim of this scheme. Having won their last match and therefore able to stay up even if Green Streets suffer a heavy defeat, Club Valencia immediately filed a complaint with their federation, calling this strategy "disgusting".

A diarrhea epidemic?

But Green Streets offers a completely different explanation: the forfeit was not an act of foul play but the result of a diarrhea and flu outbreak within the squad. "The team traveled to the stadium, with officials and players, which proves our initial intention to play," the club stated in a press release. "Unfortunately, too many players were affected by the illness, which prevented us from fielding a team. At no point, however, did Green Streets deliberately decide to forfeit or manipulate the result of the match."

These explanations clearly convinced the federation. Indeed, far from reversing the standings, the FAM (Football Association of Maldives) opted for a more lenient approach, fining Green Streets €2,714 and imposing a transfer ban, but upholding their continued participation. This was accompanied by a warning: "If Green Streets repeats this type of action, the committee will take stricter measures against the club." Club Valencia deemed this decision too lenient and accused the federation of favoritism.